For The Love of Nabooru
by ZeldaFreak93
Summary: This is a slight AU with original characters set in Ocarina of Time where Link meets Nabooru as a young warrior rather than a mature leader. Perhaps some suggestive themes and definitely adult language herein. Thanks for reading!
1. The Fortress

Legend of Zelda is not mine, and I claim no characters except my originals, and Link's voice. I own that too :D Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Dammit!" I growl under my breath. This is the third time they've caught me since I've been here. Navi avoids the fall and being crushed by me by fluttering out of the way with a squeak.  
>"You wouldn't get caught so often if you'd listen to me." She dusts herself off and floats around my head.<p>

"I wouldn't get caught so much if you'd stop nagging me!" I huff back at her and dust myself off.

"Well, we only have one more carpenter to find so it's not a really big deal." I pull out my hookshot and escape as easily as the first two times.

"Okay, so where haven't we looked?" I ask Navi while we wait for a guard to pass.

"We could check the upper levels," replies Navi.

"Ugh, those are a pain to get to and that's how I got caught last time."

Navi crosses her arms. "So you admit it's your fault?"

I don't really hear and reply, "Sure, uh-huh."

Navi lets out a derisive snort and shuts up. We make our way to the upper levels at the fortress and find the last carpenter.

"Oh, thank goodness you found me! Please let me out before – oh! Watch out!" He points behind me and I turn to face a Gerudo warrior in white with two swords.

"Shit," I say quickly arming myself.

She stares at me, stone-faced, and begins to circle. I follow in her dance hoping to find a weak side, but both of her arms are well muscled and show scars from previous encounters with blades. I nod in respect to her skill and position as a warrior. She does not respond.

She attacks feinting to the left and then her left and right sword swing toward me. I block the right sword with my shield and parry the other, shoving her back, off balance. Then it is parry, block, circle and repeat. We both start panting and sweating in the trapped heat of the fortress and I see an opening.

We are both tired, but I am used to long battles. She has only fought untrained carpenters and those battles end quickly. I smile and take the opening.

"Hyahh!" I yell slicing up, twisting my sword, and knocking both her swords out of her hands at the same time. I kick them both away from her and point the Master Sword at her neck. She stands panting and glaring at me.

"Tell your leader," I pant, "tell her that Link is here and I seek an audience with her." I flick the tip of the sword at the door. She slowly backs away then turns and runs out. I turn to the carpenter.

"Get out while you can," I say. He thanks me and runs out, not looking back. Not ten minutes later I hear footsteps.

"Your reputation precedes you, Link." A tall woman in white walks out of the shadows and down the steps. I am not sure how to greet her so I incline my head.

"I do not know who you are or your reputation but if you trained the warriors, you have my respect," I say. She smiles and walks further into the room.

"Please sheathe your weapon. The fact that you defeated my best means you have gained my respect as well." She inclines her head to me. I put away my sword and shield, but stay wary.

"What is your purpose here, Link?" She asks pointedly.

"I would like to travel to the Desert Colossus to retrieve the Spirit Medallion and so continue my journey to free the land of Ganondorf ma'am." She puts one hand on her hip and cracks a smile.

"You're taking a big risk asking a Gerudo. How do you know we aren't loyal to Ganon?"

"I don't believe you'd have your guards go so easy on me if you had wanted me dead." She laughs out loud at this, throwing her head back.

"Very true, but you are a powerful warrior." She bows, pressing her palms together. "As far as I'm concerned, you are welcome here."

I return the bow awkwardly, "I'm glad to be welcomed. May I ask your name and the name of the warrior I fought?"

"Yes, my name is Meesha and the woman you fought is Nabooru. She's captain of the guard, our best fighter, and you still managed to disarm her. As you can imagine, she's pretty pissed." A smile quirks on Meesha's face.

"I barely beat her. I only did because I'm used to endurance battles where she is not." I smile back.

"Hm. I'll have to add endurance to our curriculum. If you'll follow me." Meesha leads me back through the maze of rooms to a mess hall where ten or so Gerudo guards are eating. One of the guards is Nabooru, whose white uniform is easy to spot amid the purples. She ignores our entrance even though every other guard looked up. I head directly toward her.

From the back she's indistinguishable from any other Gerudo, save her long hair. Even in a ponytail it reaches past her slender waist. I clear my throat but she doesn't turn. I speak anyway.

"I wanted to thank you for the good fight earlier. I want you to know I respect you as a warrior and I would gladly spar in the future if you would like." I bow and turn, but the only sound I hear is her chewing.

I pick up a bowl of stew and eat as I lean against a wall of the mess hall. The Gerudo women eye me warily as if I were something to be cautious of. It does make sense considering they spent the last few days fighting and arresting me.

"What's with them?" says Navi. She has settled on my shoulder with a small section from some sort of root vegetable. She apparently was thinking in the same direction as me.

"It might take them a while to stop thinking of me as an enemy. All I have to do is show them that I'm not." I take my bowl into the kitchen and put it into the sink. I take my bracers off, roll up my sleeves, and plunge my hands into the hot water. Navi sits on the counter, munching on lettuce as she watches me work.

"So this is your grand plan?" she says sarcastically, "Wash their dishes?"

"Part of it," I reply before rinsing off a spoon. A Gerudo woman walks into the kitchen with her arms full of dishes and joins me at the sink.

"Go back out and gather up what's left at the tables. We've got some lazy-ass women here," and she waves a hand at me.

I raise my eyebrows at Navi and she shrugs and jerks her head toward the mess hall sending her braid swinging. The mess hall is emptying and there are at least thirty bowls to pick up. Sighing, I grab a tray and start loading the dishes. I got myself into this so I'll see it through to the end. Some of the Gerudo glance at me uneasily while others offer small smiles. The Gerudo woman in the kitchen doesn't say anything as I make trips in and out with piles of bowls. When I bring the last load in, she nods at me and offers her soapy, water-soaked hand.

"Keeru," she says gruffly, and jerks her chin at the stool.

"Thanks," I murmur and take a seat, "Do you know anything about the Desert Colossus?"

"Very little," Keeru says, "it is the center of spirituality in our culture and houses great treasures. How to get there and its other many secrets are left in the hands of our young spiritual guide, Nabooru." I groan and close my eyes. When I open them Keeru's face has almost cracked a smile, but her expression is still stony.

"What is that about?" She asks raising an eyebrow as she turns back to her work.

"I'm not exactly Nabooru's favorite person in the world right now," I say.

"Ah yes, the fight. Her pride as a warrior has been wounded and that is not an easy thing for a Gerudo to handle."

"I need her help to cross the desert." I run my hands through my hair, knocking my hat off. A wisp of my blonde bangs falls into my vision and I move it with a breath.

"You will need to build that relationship on your own. Nabooru is a stubborn and frustrating woman, like many of the Gerudo. The rest are flighty and useless." Keeru waves me away and Navi settles into my hair before I replace my hat and head for the exit.

I meet a few Gerudo on the way out and get a mixed response as usual. I meant to make my exit quiet, but a Gerudo patrol near the door stops me.

"Are you heading out?" She asks stopping me with an arm across my chest. I bump into her and stop as she steps back to a comfortable distance.

"Yes, is there a problem?" I add a hint of challenge into my voice on top of the question.

"Not unless you're going out the gate. You'll want a scarf to cover your face if you're going past the wall. Outside the gate there is nothing to block the wind from blowing sand into your mouth and nose." She unwinds a purple swatch of fabric from around her waist and hands it to me before waving me on. I thank her and leave the fortress.

The desert will not be easily crossed, even with Nabooru's help. I travel to the gate that leads out to the vast expanse of sand and fold my arms across my chest, considering how to go about beginning the journey. The scarf the Gerudo guard gave me helps, but there's nothing to keep the sand out of my eyes. I blink and look around for Navi but she has not left my hat since I stepped outside. I suspect her pale skin can't handle the sun or harsh sand. She's made for the cool forest, not the hot desert

"Any ideas Navi?" I poke my hat where I can feel her nestled in my hair.

"Can we leave? I'm not cut out for sand," she coughs and I hear a spitting sound.

"Hey!" I yell, "Don't spit in my hair!"

"Can't help it," she croaks. "There are sand grains everywhere in here."

I shake my head and head back into the fortress. There is so much sand, and the sun beats down waves of heat that turns my throat dry when I breathe.

"We'll head back to the fortress soon Navi, I promise."

"Thank Nayru, I'm going to need to soak in lotion to recover from this," she mumbles into my hair and I hear a sigh.

There aren't many options to cross. Nabooru would know the safest way, but it will take time that I don't have to repair her damaged pride. However, it would be foolish to cross alone and Navi would never let me hear the end of it. Each footstep sinks into the sand as I walk until I make it to the solid rock around the gate. I'll have to talk to Nabooru.

AN: Please let me know what you think and where I might go. I have no plans for what to do! Ok, I have some but they're all up in the air. Thanks for reading!


	2. Nabooru

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Legend of Zelda. All I own is my original characters and Link's voice.

AN: Yay! Second chapter! So, it's a bit slow, but we're working up to the excitement. Well, there's excitement in this one too :D As always, enjoy and please read and review.

Chapter 2

I decide to sleep on it and talk to Nabooru in the morning. When I wake the fortress is loud with voices and I'm startled by the noise. When I was sneaking around before it was deadly silent, but I suppose they were searching for me. I avoid the places where I hear large groups and end up deep within the walls where the heat doesn't reach.

I walk the halls and see empty dormitories through open doors, shrines, and places of relaxation as well as places of fighting. It makes the most sense to have living and working areas in the back under the cliff. Navi pokes her head in each room curiously occasionally eliciting shrieks and slammed doors when the Gerudo women realize who is roaming their halls. Navi huffs and I grin.

"I am the only male in the entire place and you are my fairy; it's no wonder they are shutting their doors." Navi doesn't acknowledge my explanation and sits on my shoulder as I wander.

After walking the halls and considering how to talk to Nabooru I ask a guard where I would find her.

"Ever since you beat her she's been in the training grounds. It's toward the front of the fortress. It's a special training ground that very few Gerudo have been able to complete. There's an added difficulty of it being so close to the heat of the desert." The guard gives me directions back to the entrance since I've gotten myself hopelessly lost

I see Keeru on the way and wave but all I get in response is a scowl. That's her way of saying hello I suppose.

"You better help with the dishes again tonight!" She yells at me as I pass through the mess hall.

"No promises Keeru, but I'll do my best," I yell back and all I hear is a grunt for a response. Navi raises her eyebrows and plays with her wavy hair. She's let the braid out and her blue hair flows past her shoulders as she hovers in front of me.

"You haven't told me your plan on how to deal with Nabooru and we need her help. Do you want me to talk to her?" She doesn't look like she actually wants to, and I shake my head in response. She sighs in relief and nods.

"You're right. You should talk to her since you're the one who ticked her off in the first place."

"Yeah," I reply and squint as the morning sunlight pierces my eyes, "that's going to be lovely."

It takes me most of the day to get through the training grounds and I work even through lunch. The training grounds are split into three sections and require puzzle-solving, speed, and quick thinking. The left and right doors meet in the middle behind what I assume is a chamber that the third and middle door leads to. Since I've cleared the two side doors and haven't found Nabooru, I enter the center door and prepare myself for the worst.

Nabooru is in the center of the ring facing a dark version of herself. Navi gasps and points, speechless and I nod in response; I recognize that challenge. In the Water Temple I faced the same nightmare. In order to beat yourself you have to think and fight in a way that you never have before. I hang back near the edge of the room and watch Nabooru.

Her teeth are gritted and her brow is knit in concentration; sweat collects on her forehead as she circles the dark incarnation of herself. She intermittently attacks in short bursts only to be parried at every attack. She's wearing down, her low stamina working against her again, as it did in our fight. She screams jumping forward, swinging both swords down from the upper left and right that took the shadow down in a surprising display of ferocity. She falls to her knees and then onto her back and closes her eyes, panting.

I start forward as if to help, but I don't want to make her angrier by helping. Navi confirms my thoughts by shaking her head. I fight against my instincts and start to warm up for my own training. My fight might be different than hers and there's no guarantee that my own shadow will face me again.

Nabooru halfway rises, turns on one knee, and then freezes half crouched, her eyes wide. I'm between her and the door, but I don't move.

"Nabooru, I-," I start, but she effectively cuts my off with narrowed eyes, rising to her feet.

"What do you want?" She spits the words at me.

"I want to talk to you," I reply instantly nervous. This could go very badly and I have to be careful of what I say.

"And what makes you think I want to even look at your pale pointy face?" Nabooru asks, pointing at my face. Navi sniggers and then bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach. Nabooru and I both look at her with open mouths.

"Haha, he-," she gasps for breath, "he really does have a pointy face doesn't he? Haha!" She collapses into fits, falling off my shoulder and I smirk. I risk a glance at Nabooru and she's trying not to smile, but Navi has an infectious laugh sometimes. Then I join in Navi's laughter and even Nabooru lets out a short laugh.

"I suppose I can stay and watch you get your ass kicked," says Nabooru, sitting down against the wall. "Want to join me fairy?"

"Gladly!" Navi squeaks in between deep gasping breaths. "I'm Navi, by the way. Nice to meet you!" She floats down to Nabooru's shoulder and tries not to grimace at the sweat on her bare skin. I try not to look at any of her, least of all her bare skin; I need to concentrate. I roll my shoulders and take a defensive stance with my shield up and sword ready.

My shadow appears to my right and instantly attacks. I raise my shield and grunt as the black sword glances off with a shriek. Nabooru was lucky; her shadow only defended while mine attacks. I throw my whole body into a stab and I hit the shadow dead on in the abdomen. It disappears and I know it will reappear behind me unless I killed it which is unlikely. I spin and duck as a swipe flies over my head nicking the end of my hat and pulling it from my head. _Damn,_ I think, _now my hair's gonna be in my eyes._

The shadow doesn't give me time to recover and attacks as I duck behind my shield. From my crouched position I can see an opening where the shadow isn't taking full advantage of its shield and I swipe, catching it in the side. I get hair in my eyes and push it back with my arm hoping sweat will keep it in place as the shadow grunts and disappears again. I spin in a slow circle trying not to focus on Nabooru and Navi as my vision passes over them. The shadow appears again, jumping like Nabooru did at hers. I catch it on my shield and use its momentum to throw it over my head. As it lands I spin and deliver a death blow, plunging my sword into its neck. It gurgles and then fizzles into black smoke.

Navi rises from Nabooru's shoulder as she stands clapping her small hands and I smile at her, sheathing my sword and putting away my shield. Nabooru looks at me critically and cocks her head. I retrieve my hat and settle it back on my head before walking over to her.

"Watching you fight something else makes me think that I'm lucky that you didn't take my head off, Hero." She says, leaning back against the wall. I roll my eyes.

"Please don't call me that. My name is Link," I say and offer my hand. "Since we didn't get properly introduced the first time we met." She looks at my hand then back up at me and twists her mouth into a wry smile. I open my mouth in embarrassment and retract my hand, dipping into a hasty bow. She bows back and breaks out in a real smile.

I can't help but notice how her teeth are not perfectly straight, but just a little crooked. That fact doesn't detract from the strength and beauty of her face, but rather adds to it. I realize I've been looking too long and drop my eyes.

"Now that you don't hate me, could we talk?" I ask, trying to distract myself.

"I believe that is possible now," she replies. We leave the training grounds and walk to the mess hall in silence. I can tell that Navi is getting more and more impatient to ask about the Desert Colossus. Before she can blurt it out I stop and turn to Nabooru. Her face stays passive as she stops to face me.

"I need your help Nabooru. I need to get to the Desert Colossus. There is a medallion there that will help me defeat Ganondorf. Can you get me there?" Nabooru presses her mouth into a thin line and places her hands on her hips.

"You want to cross that desert," she points toward the gate, "and risk our lives to take down Ganondorf?" She almost looks angry.

"I'm sorry, but it's really important, and I've risked my life many times. Ganondorf can't go on the way he is. Hyrule is falling apart!" I realize I'm shouting and I stop. "Please, I can't do this without you." She twists her mouth and I realize she's holding in a smile. My mouth pops open and I return the smile after I punch her on the arm. She punches me back, harder, and we continue into the fortress.

After dinner and another cleanup session with Keeru, Nabooru and I sit at the tables. Keeru raises her eyebrows, but doesn't say anything.

"I was taught how to cross the desert by the previous spiritual leader, Natal, who is too old to be the leader any longer. I am the new spiritual leader, but I still talk to Natal when I need help."

"Will we need her help to cross?" I ask, watching Navi braid her hair back.

"I don't believe so, but it would be good to ask if she knows anything about this medallion."

"So what're we waiting for?" I get up from the table and Nabooru stands slowly, stretching her back, which thrusts her chest out. I avert my eyes and walk to a doorway.

"Wrong doorway, pointy-face," she says flipping her hand to the correct door.

"Sorry," I mumble, keeping my eyes down. She raises an eyebrow and follows me through the doorway.

Natal and her attendants are so deep in the fortress I couldn't find my way back out if I tried. Navi is open and happy, humming Zelda's Lullaby and then Epona's Song. I smack my hand to my forehead.

"Epona! Nabooru, do you know where my horse is?"

"She's fine. She's being stabled with our horses up on top of the cliff. She's happy and a little impatient. We had to get our best handler to get her saddle off to comb her down."

I laugh, "She's a spirited one, that's for sure."

Natal really is old; her room is the coldest I've been in so far and is lit not by torches, which create too much heat, but by magic. I can't tell where the light originates but the shadows are strange and all wrong. I ignore all of this and focus on Natal. She is immensely wrinkled and crooked, but her eyes are bright and she is completely aware.

"Ah, the Hero of Time," she rasps stretching out her hand. I take it and her cool, smooth skin clings to mine. I bow with her hand in mine then release it and return to stand beside Nabooru.

"Master," says Nabooru bowing, "Link needs to journey to the Desert Colossus to retrieve the medallion; he needs this to defeat Ganondorf."

"My son has passed far beyond my help by now," Natal sighs. My eyes widen and I glance at Nabooru. Apparently she already knew because she doesn't react. Natal sees my face and wheezes a small sigh again.

"Yes, he is my son, but he doesn't know. He was raised by those two witches Koume and Kotake. They are the ones who twisted him into who he is today. They are who awaits you in the temple. You will have to defeat them to reach the medallion."

"Thank you Master," says Nabooru bowing again and nudging me with her elbow and I bow too before we leave the room.

"That went well," said Nabooru, leading me down the halls. "If she hadn't liked you she wouldn't have even greeted you."

"Well, are we ready to cross the desert?" I ask, ready to leave at any moment, but Nabooru shakes her head.

"We should leave tomorrow evening when the sun sets. The moon is almost full and should provide enough light and the desert will be much cooler."

"Can we not leave tonight?" I ask, frustrated. "I've already been here two days."

"It will take most of tomorrow to arrange our transportation. I haven't been to the colossus in many months because of the danger so I need to do some work. Go back to your room, Link. We'll leave tomorrow evening." She sets a hand on my shoulder. Her touch sends a pleasant feeling through me and I nod, unable to argue. Tomorrow evening I'll be one step closer to Ganondorf.

AN: So yeah, Navi's giggle fit was a bit of a cop-out, but I really couldn't think of another way to help Nabooru and Link reconcile. Hope ya'll enjoyed and looking forward to Chapter 3! It might be a little while since I cranked out two chapters within three days. Stay tuned.


End file.
